Posted to Op-Ed on

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Time for the Jewish Community to End the Sharpton Wars

Huffington Post

Twenty years ago, race riots erupted in Crown Heights and an innocent Jewish student was murdered in response to the accidental killing of an African-American child. After the murder, the Rev. Al Sharpton came to Crown Heights and further whipped up an already incensed crowd, leaving some in the Jewish community to demand twenty years later that Sharpton be forever shunned by Jewry and criticizing my friend Rabbi Marc Schneier for inviting him to the Hampton Synagogue.

Ten years after the Crown Heights riots, I challenged Sharpton to a public debate, which he accepted, and following our take-no-prisoners, very volatile exchange, I invited him to a kosher restaurant for dinner. He surprised me by accepting and a budding relationship ensued. After the September 11th attacks, I called Sharpton and suggested we travel together to Israel to visit victims of Islamic terror as a means of healing our two communities. Again, he surprised me by agreeing. The trip was moving, as Rev. Sharpton offered genuine comfort to Israelis with their arms and legs blown off. But it was all undone when he decided, without informing any of the organizers of the trip, that he had arranged to visit the arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat in Gaza. The trip thereafter became a fiasco and Sharpton and I returned barely speaking to each other.

But just as I wished to write him off, again he surprised me when he invited me to the Hyatt Hotel and essentially apologized for putting me in such an awkward position.

Sharpton can do that. Just when you think he’s only interested in himself, he will behave in a kindly manner that will move you.

Fast forward to New Year’s Eve of this year, a Friday afternoon, with the Jewish Sabbath coming in at 4:30pm. I received a call from the truly outstanding Aleph Institute seeking to help a Jewish doctor imprisoned for many years on a charge of manslaughter and who was gravely ill. Activists were seeking a pardon from outgoing New York Governor David Patterson. They connected me with Sharpton to ask that he intercede with the governor in his last few hours in office. Though all of New York was shut down, Sharpton graciously got on the line. I said, “Reverend Al, you and I have had our ups and downs. But we have essentially always respected each other and I know you have a good heart. There is a Jewish doctor who has served more than 17 years for the death of a patient. He is extremely ill and has recently buried a child. Would you speak to Governor Patterson on his behalf?” Sharpton instantly agreed and asked that the case details be sent to him as time was of the essence. I later heard that the doctor was not pardoned but was moved to a more comfortable living facility.

There can be no doubt that many of Sharpton’s actions at the beginning of his career were dishonorable and incendiary, from Tawana Brawley to Crown Heights. But there can likewise be little doubt that he has shown immense personal and professional growth over the past few years. Indeed, in his recent letter to Rabbi Schneier, Sharpton wrote, “I have made mistakes in my career,” a mea culpa of sorts. Sadly, he quickly followed by saying, “But the allegations around Crown Heights… was not one of them.”

It is to his discredit that he has never accepted responsibility and apologized for the rabble-rousing role he played in Crown Heights, even though he was not responsible for the death of Yankel Rosenbaum. But at the risk of angering many in my community, including the Rosenbaum family who are the real bearers of the Crown Heights pain, it’s time to move on and not allow that glaring omission to undermine our new relationship with Reverend Al. Since our trip together to the Jewish State, he has never uttered a word against Jewry or Israel and I have even been told by officials in the Israeli Consulate in New York that they share a warm relationship with Sharpton and consider him a friend.

The great black-Jewish conflicts of recent memory are largely behind us and highlighting a decades-old argument with Sharpton removes the focus from how black-Jewish relations have been redefined by outstanding new leaders like Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, who served as president of my Jewish student organization while a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. Sharpton and other African-American leaders are seeking to thwart a perceived diminished relevance in an age where America has elected an African-American president and black-Jewish animosities are the last thing on their agenda. Should we allow obsessive Jew-haters like Louis Farrakhan — who publicly supported Kaddafi to the bitter end and has yet to explain his own role in the murder of Malcolm X — to trap us in the past?

As a community, our posture must always be to offer praise where it is earned, criticism where it is warranted, and encouragement when a former antagonist leans toward becoming an ally.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is founding the Global Institute for Values Education. The author of 26 books, he will shortly publish ‘Ten Conversations You Need to Have with Yourself.’

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65 Comments

  • gitty

    why do you foist your personal positions on a community that has suffered so much from sharpton,sir? You did not go through the riots, you did not have a relative injured or killed here, you did not have to go through the nightmares of “ kill the Jews” hurled at people who thought they had escaped this kind of pogrom in russia or poland!!!

    To allow a man who has presidential ambitions to move ahead, blithely wiping away his past sins with the words “..unproven..,mistakes”, etc. is a crime! It opens up the door to all anti-semites and abusers to use the words “mistake” to attack us, then barely apologize when push comes to shove. Oh, the falseness of this world….but there is a G-D in heaven whom sharpton cannot fool….

  • Gayle

    An innocent boy was killed because of Sharpton’s racism and stupidity. How do you think his parents would feel about you encouraging the Jewish community to forgive and forget. You be friends with him. I think I’ll pass.

  • rsa

    this was the first time I ever noticed how “outsider-ish” Boteach can be. Sorry for him, he seems to be struggling with “both sides of the fence”. Bright, but …..

  • EE

    Is this guy insane? What is wrong with you Boteach? He is using you! Why is this so hard to understand?

  • Crown Heights resident

    Happily, Shmully Boteach is largely irrelevant to Jewish, and certainly, Chabad life.As always, his comments to the Huffington
    Post,are all about him and keeping himself in the mix.

  • your friend marc schnier

    He is an even bigger opportunist than you!!! That guy hasnt said a sincere word since kindergarten

  • None are so blind

    Boteach you are just like those poor souls that walked under that sign “arbeit macht frei”

    You are a fool and will believe anything.

  • ce

    so far, all comments are right on the mark. As long as we have these forums, when we feel something is so wrong, we can speak out. #1 through #9 are really right on.

  • aunti

    shocking that such a bright man could be SO far away off the truth. He must have sold out and needs the outside approval and support from Sharpton and Shneirer for something. Very sorry that he cast himself as an outsider

  • shmuly

    This is another example of when you use your brilliant mind in not such brilliant ways
    I haven’t see sharpton do Teshuva just yet…

  • reuvain

    The man walked the streets of Crown Heights inciting a riot. He has never walked them again and asked for forgiveness. Until then there can be no forgiveness.

  • Elki

    I, too, believe in reconciliation when meaningful and productive.
    Al Sharpton is not my enemy, nor an enemy of the Jews, even those in Crown Heights.

    He is a fraud, a sham, a liar who through his ability to foment the emotion of crowds, ultimately, a community was terrorized and Yankel Rosenbaum Hy”d, was killed.

    Why and how is he still given a platform after fraudently inventing a story to indict an Upstate prominent politician? Was it not to his own benefit?
    Perhaps he mellowed with age and decided the best way to have a voice is to make nice to the Jewish community.
    I don’t hate him – I look down on him.
    Shmuly, you’re an exceptionally intelligent thinker and outstanding writer. Do you really admire Al Sharpton?

  • Shlomi

    To Elki #17

    Boteach is not intelligent at all! He just knows how to repeat formulas in long winded articles. That is not a sign of intelligence.

  • yakov khanin

    Ribeino shel Eilom! What an idiot this Shmuley!
    Go forgive nazis imach shmom!
    Not all germans are bad, not all blacks are bad. But this particular dude is bad.

  • anon

    Sharpton convinced the world of his hatred by his own actions over a long period of time. He will change that perception by his own future actions over a long period of time, not through the filter of other people’s perceptions.
    I opnce knew a high school classmate of his. He said Sharpton does everything for his own profit-he doesn’t really do in anything that doesn’t make him number 1

  • Apology 1st Forgiveness 2nd

    Shmuley you’re a smart man, this is a stupid op-ed.
    Sharpton never asked for an apology and I, a resident of Crown Heights during the riots, will never forgive him.

  • miri

    Boteach…the biggest Chillul Hashem and Chillul Lubavitch (since he claims to be one to the goyim, but we know he’s not). He went over to the dark side, when he started touching women on tv for money. We call that being a Shmuley. You can’t forgive someone who has NOT asked to be forgiven. Sharpton is laughing at you. What a morally retarded man is Boteach.

  • Boteach loves himself

    It was a real sacrifice of Boteach to pen this article. He had to leave his place at the mirror admiring himself for a half an hour to pen this trash. Give credit where credit is due.

  • Yakov

    BSD

    In this article Boteach sounds extremely confused. Sharpton is good,but.., good, but…, good, but… etc.

    If you’re so confused about Sharpton, just forget about it and don’t write an article supporting him in a very confused manner.

  • Andrea Schonberger

    Fellow Yidden, Puhleaze!! Glenn Beck is anti-semitic but the Jewish people seem to love him so what’s the deal with Rev. Al? Oh, I forgot; Beck LOVES Israel–he may hate the Jews but he loves Israel by G-d, and bless his heart.

  • SHOCKED BEYOND WORDS

    sHOCKING FROM SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE CONNECTION TO CHABAD. dOV hIKIND IS THE SMART HERO HERE. sHAME ON YOU SHMULY bOTEACH. THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE

  • NO SHAME

    iPRAY THAT nORMAN rOSENBAUM NEVER KNOWS OF THIS. tO FORGIVE THE PERSON WHO INCITED A RIOT THAT KILLED A YOUNG PROMISING MAN? tHE PAIN WOULD BE TOO GREAT. yOU HAVE CHILDREN? hOW CAN YOU ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHT TO FORGIVE? yOU LEFT YOUR HEART ON YOUR tv SHOW. fOR SHAME

  • reader

    Andrea, are you stupid or stupid? What does this have to do with Glenn Beck?

    By the way, if he only obsesses over Israel and hates Jews, why does he obsess over memorializing the Jews murdered in Europe during the holocaust? He made trips to the camps, he made fiery speeches blasting goyim for not defending the Jews in the holocaust, yet you lack the intelligence to read beyond Media Matters and Huffington Post. Shame on you.

  • Upset

    A case of ipcha mistabra as in the fine Boteach tradition. He will always be on the wrong side of the issue. If he would only keep his ideas to himself it would be a halbe tzoro. Why in Heaven’s name did we recently see him hobnobbing with Moshe K. and the Merkos crew? That wasn’t a well thought out move, and they will be sorry, for he is the same vechulei and continues to cause a chillul Hashem and chillul shem Lubavitch
    And dear websites, please stop giving him the podium!

  • Boteach-s next brilliant article

    By shmuli boteach

    The time has come to stop mourning little Leiby and forgive Levi Aron. Let bygones be bygones. I know this article may not go well with Kletzky family, but my fraudulent non profit once received a $100 donation from Levi Aron so he must be released from jail at once. He will let me publish a book about the grisly murder so I can profit off of it with fortune and fame.

  • SD

    I am truly perplexed as to why everyone is beating up on Boteach. He was not there at the time, and I can credit his statements to simple ignorance of the facts. What is more astounding is the grandstanding by many that have opined recently about Sharpton and the riots. These “ Jewish ” leaders and politicians were present during the riots, The only function that they served at the time was to attempt to make a name for themselves as to how much they did for Crown Heights, and to be the one credited for brokering the “ peace” between the Honorable (sic)Mayor Dinkins and Crown Heights.ALL these people ,and unfortunately even some of our own were kowtowing to the Mayor and were ready to sell thier souls just to get thier name in the headlines. Besides a few individuals we were left out to hang since none of these Jewish communal leaders and “heimeshe” politicians were ready to stick thier necks out for the Jews of Crown Heights, regardless of all the hype that they created in the media. As one that was part of the Emergency Committee, and was intricately involved in every aspect of the riots and all the ensuing issues for months afterwards, I can testify that we were on our own. From the liberals that outright condemned us to the Ultra Orthodox tha at best payed us lip service,what was acconplished was all our own doing. Al Sharpton did what he did, but we must remember that it was New York Cities highest officer,the Mayor, that allowed this to continue for literally weeks ( and not just three days as is the popular misconception ). SD

  • Moshe Greser

    When MR Boteach will move to CH or stop ranting about his next door niegbor I would appreciate a big mum.
    btw when I hear him on the radio in my car I cring with embarresment. but otherwise he’s an ok guy.

  • old timer

    i am surprised that the great rabbi shmuly, who positions himself as the The Great Empathiser, or is that Empathiser to the Greats…, should decide to ignore the plight of the true victims of the Pogrom of Crown Heights.
    it was not a time of jewish/black conflict. it was a POGROM. get that straight, and you will not make the mistake of supporting anyone that tries to whitewash the past.

    rabbi shmuly, you would never ever think of telling a victim of abuse to forgive and praise his abuser. al sharpton ABUSED our community, and we are his VICTIMS.
    so, for the sake of my and my fellow trauma sufferers, please ask OUR forgiveness, and tell our abuser (mr. sharpton) to go jump in a lake!

  • Read your own words

    Shmuley,
    Some times I love what you have to say but this time I am not sure that you have even convinced yourself. If his letter to marc s. states he made no miistakes in the Crown Heights riots, how can you defend him? He says he hasen’t done anything wrong! Either you agree with that staement (Which earlier in the article you do blame him)or you don’t. There can be no TESHUVAH without CHARATAH.

  • mina

    unfortunately you S.Boteach have been conned. Al sharpton is an oportunist and a souless person. he does anything to make himself look good and is good at doing it at other people’s expense.
    no i say no again to ever shaking hands and making up with this shyster!!!!! untill he owes up and admits to whipping up the crowd that brought outsiders into our community to incite the hate he supported. until he volunteers to bring the others who never were tried for killing yankle rosebaum , until he stops his hate mongering there is nothing to talk about. i repeat nothing. IT WAS WONDERFUL THAT YOUR FRIEND RABBI S WAS MADE TO REMOVE HIM FROM A PROGRAM IN HIS SHUL. Yes BH there are people with a spine!!
    May Hashem protect us and may we be granted Mosshiach now!!

  • i-ll get bashed for saying this but....

    i like boteach for always speaking his mind and doing his own thing. whether i agree with him or not, i admire his chutzpah. you have to give the guy credit for being his own man.

  • Boteach Fan

    Boteach. I’m your fan. I was reading this, and I’m like: What is Shmuely smoking? You let me down. Big Time.You say Sharpton whipped up an “already frenzied crowd” It’s obvious you were not there. I was.

    The rest of your article is drivel, drivel, drivel. Sharpton SHOULD be forgiven: when Hitler is forgiven.

    Shmuely, I know you are open -minded, but next time, don’t let your brains fall out.

  • Seriously Andea?.....

    Your ignorance will never show…unless you open your mouth. Thank you #33 nicely said.

  • Bg

    If the rebbe walked in to 770 today biotech wouldcrun for his life he was excommunicated by chabad nobody wants to read his garbagecwhy arevyouboutting it up in middle of my news

  • Ch mom

    I vividly recall, as a young married woman, with a newborn baby when my husband returned home from kollel with a beer drenched shirt. A beer bottle was thrown at his chest by a group of hooligans and by a miracle it didnt cut him or harm him in any way. But till today I wonder g-d forbid what would have been if it did?? Shmuly, this was right after Sharptons instigating marches…how many others were attacked and hurt? Yankel Rosenbaum was a sad fatality but many others suffered as well because of Sharptons ‘work’ at the time. We couldn’t leave our homes, it affected our relationships with our African american neighbors etc…the day he comes out and says 2 words ‘I APOLOGIZE’ then maybe we can move on, but until then, he is the same wolf in the lambs coat!!!!!

  • My not so humble opinion ...

    He’s his own man only when he benefits from it. Great comments here on this
    article.

  • dov bennish

    shmuly i used to kinda respect u but now i see u for the slf centered man which u really are

  • Ani Noch Greser

    To # 41 Jack the Ripper was also his own man. give us a break and stop using old cliches SB stepped out of line and it’s NOT the first time nor the last that’s what happens when one has reflective vision ( as in a mirror ) ehr zet nor zich

  • E.

    Basically your saying this guy is crazy schizophrenic, poor man lets forgive him!

    NO WAY!

    Let him find a room in a mental home!

  • Moshe

    Shmuly I’m sorry on this one you crossed the lines he is a true anti Semite and has Jewish blod on his hands you have written some nice articles in the past but this one makes my stomach twirl

  • Josh

    Rabbi Shmuley is the greatest jew of our generation.

    And if you don’t believe me, ask him.

  • Botach where are you priorities?

    You disconnect from him because of ideological reasons but reunite because he personally invites you, it seems that your personal ego is before anything else on your list.
    what a disgrace!

  • a jew

    why the violent attacks on SB? hé gave an opinion, agree or disagree, no need to jump on him.
    i disagree with SB here, as i have in other places. BUT he’s a person, a jew, a lubavitcher chossid who does many good things, even of its in a non conventional and (somtimes) controversial way.

    just my 2 cents

  • Al don-t got bchirah... not his fault

    Wait a minute. Last year Boteach wrote an article in the
    Algemeiner explaining how Christianity forgives sinners and we Jews take responsiblity for our actions. When I read that, I thought I read who you are and what you stand for. But now, you are writing the very opposet of what YOU YOURSELF preached. Now you are flipping back to christianity by forgiving and forgeting????? you now returning to the liberal way of pardoning hatered as if it were an illness deserving our compassion? what happened to free choice which YOU yourself would preach? I guess goyim don’t have bechirah…

  • Guardian Angel

    What about the Jewish family that was terroized in the Freddie’s Fashion Mart incident? Or the Korean family that owned the Red Apple Grocery? I hope people still remember Sharpton’s roles in those incidents.

  • shame on you!

    shmuli,every time u open your mouth you make a bigger chilul hashem than ever. Even the goyim know that sharpton is a Jew hater and is totally racist.. All the media are laughing at you even if they dont express it in their writings… Rabbi Krisnsky and kotlarsky.. shame on you for associating yourself with him… maybe after this article you will finally come to your senses that its time to stop partying with him. Remember: your friends reflect who you are, so the more you hob nob with him the more you’re endorsing his opinions whether you like it or not… and that is a shame for Merkoz. I hope you will openly write an apology. your chasidim are waiting for one!!!

  • Give me a break

    Time to end the war?! What war? Does one have a war with s shtick drek? It’s a d’var meeus, it’s repulsive, and you keep your distance. It will always be a shtick drek; you can go down on your knees and talk to it, reason with it, but no matter what you say it will remain a schtick drek!! Shmuley would like to be melamed zechus on a shtick drek!!

  • What is wrong with you people?

    I believe there is major sinas chinum plaguing this community… i truly believe if anyone else, “less controvercial” would have written this article, the feedback would have been less fierce and mean and rude… Shmuley is agreeing that Al Sharpton is who we all know he is, but he is just mentioning and sharing some stories and personal experiences he had with the man… (Dont get me wrong i agree Al Sharpton is a menace)

    By reading all the above comments i kind of get the feeling that you all have serious issues with SB and i cant imagine why.. you should all be ashamed of yourselves.. look back and read the comments that you posted, some of them are pashut full of hate… 2 words SINAS CHINUM!

    What is wrong with SB sharing the story below? Is he committing a crime? Is he abandoning Lubavitch? Honestly, i think you all need to get off your computers and do something with your lives so you can stop being angry at people who are more successful, happy, famous, proud, then you.. (not only with regards to this article) i feel that people who commented above are not happy with themselves so they need to vent their own frustrations and shortcomings on others. i know its ridiculous..
    Dont get me wrong, there are some controversial points he brings out, however, judging the response and feedback SB got i was totally shocked and i feel bad for the man..

    “Fast forward to New Year’s Eve of this year, a Friday afternoon, with the Jewish Sabbath coming in at 4:30pm. I received a call from the truly outstanding Aleph Institute seeking to help a Jewish doctor imprisoned for many years on a charge of manslaughter and who was gravely ill. Activists were seeking a pardon from outgoing New York Governor David Patterson. They connected me with Sharpton to ask that he intercede with the governor in his last few hours in office. Though all of New York was shut down, Sharpton graciously got on the line. I said, “Reverend Al, you and I have had our ups and downs. But we have essentially always respected each other and I know you have a good heart. There is a Jewish doctor who has served more than 17 years for the death of a patient. He is extremely ill and has recently buried a child. Would you speak to Governor Patterson on his behalf?” Sharpton instantly agreed and asked that the case details be sent to him as time was of the essence. I later heard that the doctor was not pardoned but was moved to a more comfortable living facility.”

  • What is wrong with you people?

    shmuli,every time u open your mouth you make a bigger chilul hashem than ever.Shmuley thanks for ruining my lunch. SB stepped out of line and it’s NOT the first time nor the last that’s what happens when one has reflective vision ( as in a mirror ) ehr zet nor zich.
    If the rebbe walked in to 770 today biotech wouldcrun for his life he was excommunicated by chabad nobody wants to read his garbagecwhy arevyouboutting it up in middle of my news. Your ignorance will never show…unless you open your mouth. i am surprised that the great rabbi shmuly, who positions himself as the The Great Empathiser, or is that Empathiser to the Greats. When MR Boteach will move to CH or stop ranting about his next door niegbor .
    By shmuli boteach

    The time has come to stop mourning little Leiby and forgive Levi Aron. Let bygones be bygones. I know this article may not go well with Kletzky family, but my fraudulent non profit once received a $100 donation from Levi Aron so he must be released from jail at once. He will let me publish a book about the grisly murder so I can profit off of it with fortune and fame.

    A case of ipcha mistabra as in the fine Boteach tradition. He will always be on the wrong side of the issue. If he would only keep his ideas to himself it would be a halbe tzoro.

    sHOCKING FROM SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE CONNECTION TO CHABAD. SHMULY bOTEACH. THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE

    shmuley ,shmuley du bist a nar!
    Boteach…the biggest Chillul Hashem and Chillul Lubavitch (since he claims to be one to the goyim, but we know he’s not). He went over to the dark side, when he started touching women on tv for money. We call that being a Shmuley. You can’t forgive someone who has NOT asked to be forgiven. Sharpton is laughing at you. What a morally retarded man is Boteach.
    I almost gagged on my vomit.
    . Time For Shmuely Boteach To Go Away
    Boteach is not intelligent at all! He just knows how to repeat formulas in long winded articles. That is not a sign of intelligence.
    Boteach you are just like those poor souls that walked under that sign “arbeit macht frei”
    Happily, Shmully Boteach is largely irrelevant to Jewish, and certainly, Chabad life.As always, his comments to the Huffington
    Post,are all about him and keeping himself in the mix.
    Is this guy insane? What is wrong with you Boteach? He is using you! Why is this so hard to understand?
    noch mir a shtikel pisher……
    You know what, if this doesnt make you people regret what you say and think.. then you should crawl back into your little holes and continuing gossiping and being angry.. nebach! i really feel bad for you.. moshiach will really come sooner if you do right? this is sad…

  • Ani Boteach Rak baShem

    “Sharpton instantly agreed and asked that the case details be sent to him as time was of the essence.”

    There is no proof in this story that Sharpie YMS actually did anything or that the doctor’s having been moved was due to Sharpie’s intervention.

    I’ve had to tell time wasters to “send me the details ASAP and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can” in order to get rid of them. This looks like the same thing.

  • What is wrong with you people?

    to 63) Wow i didnt realize that not providing proof would be such a crime! wow SB is really a evil person!

    to 62) do you care to expound on your wise words or is that all you have to say?